Mountain Bike
Trails According to Casey
>>TEXAS<<
*This site is
currently under construction, so please bear with me...*
East Texas
** It's been years
since I've ridden some of the trails in East Texas, so some things may
have changed since, such as fees, the trails themselves, or even
closures... you get the idea.
If you visit any of these trails, and they are not as presented, please
email me and let me know.
Houston Area
Trails
Memorial
Park Trail System
Cypress
Creek Trails
The Anthills
Huntsville
State Park
Sam Houston
National Forest Trail System
Double
Lake Trail
Central Texas
Austin Area Trails
Barton Creek Greenbelt
Bull
Creek Greenbelt
Emma Long /
City Park / Motocross Park
Austin
Intermediate, Advanced
Up to 7 miles
Emma Long, AKA City Park/ Motocross Park (nothing "motocross" about it,
really) is perhaps my favorite "legal" trail in Texas. If you're a
glutton for punishment, then this one's for you... While only about 7
miles long, the parking lot will be a welcome sight at the end for
most. Some will tell you that it's all ridable, but they're just
stroking their delicate egos... there are a couple of obstacles that
are not ridable, unless you have the time and energy to spend some time
hopping trials-style, and repeated tries. I've been riding there for
almost
4 years now, and while 4 years ago it was nearly 100% ridable (I don't
mean 100% of the time though), it's gotten much harder due to the
motorcycle traffic - yes I said motorcycle. MC riders tear it up pretty
bad, scattering boulders and spinning the their big knobby back tires
trying to get over the ledges, making the ledges larger as a result. So
how much is ridable? I'd say about 90%, but I don't mean 90% is
ridable 100% of the time... Here's my break down:
So what makes it so challenging? Well, besides its generally rough,
rocky nature (there are, however, some smooth, fast sections), it is
littered with large, imbeded boulders and ledges in the worst possible
places, and with the worst possible spacing. The theme seems to be to
hit a short, loose, momentum zapping climb, followed by a hard bend,
only to be faced by a group of 12-24"+ ledges spaced
progressively closer together as you reach the top... While going down
is much easier, you still have to be careful; where wheelie-dropping
would be the choice approach for ledges on lesser trails, the surprise
grouping of these ledges will do you in quick if done in a front-up
fashion... so nose-down seems the safe approach, until you find your
weight a little
too far forward, sending you face first down a set of five 18"
ledges... drop with care, folks.
The good news for riders that may find themselves in over their heads
(or over the bars) is that there are some shortcuts and bail-out
points. Most will find the most welcome and valuable cut to be about
3/4 of
the way into the full loop where you come out of the woods, curve
right, and face a long, straight, treeless climb that will take you
back to the parking lot. There are other short cuts, but be sure to
have a map handy before you start looking for them; one could quickly
find their self adding to
their adventure as opposed to cutting it short.
To get there, go west on 2222 from 360 (Capitol of Texas HWY), then
take a left at the next light, City Park Rd, then after about 4 miles
take a left on Oak Shores Dr, then left on a short paved drive into the
dirt/gravel parking lot. Signs are posted along the way, so it's not
hard to find. As of writing, the trailhead is on the west end of the
lot, and direction of travel is clockwise. They switch the direction
every few years, so check first.
Great Emma Long map at Xenopus
Good
Water Trail (AKA "LGT")
Georgetown (Lake Georgetown)
About 16 miles out-and-back
(Overlook Park to where the double-track begins and back)
Intermediate, Advanced
The Goodwater Trail is a
trail built by the Army Core of Engineers that encircles the lake for
nearly 30 miles, only a portion of which is open to bikes (the north
side of the lake). This trail is a lot of fun... on a full suspension.
It tends to be very rough, with sharp, jagged limestone protruding from
the ground making for a potentially very rough ride, thus I don't
recommend it for hardtail riders, at least not the 3 mile section
between Overlook Park and Jim Hogg Park. The 4.5 mile section between
Jim Hogg and Russell Park is a little
smoother, and thus a bit more tolerable for hardtails. This section is
a lot of fun with some good challenges; not really big ones like City
Park, but smaller ones that never seem to end. I usually continue past
Russell about one mile to where the double-track begins next to the
lake bank, then return. This last mile is perhaps the most technical
part of the trail. The last 5+ miles consist of mostly double-track
that follows the San Gabriel River to Tejas Camp, but I didn't include
this portion in the mileage as it's pretty boring compared to the rest
of the trail, and I'm an action kind of guy...
One of the nice things about this trail
is it's scenic qualities. Overlook to Jim Hogg is a mostly open trail
that follows along fingers of the lake, through grass and prickly pear
cacti, occasionally passing through stands of cedar and oak. Toward the
end of this section the trail enters the forests that line the north
side of the lake at Jim Hogg Park, and continues rolling over limestone boulders and
winding through cedars while keeping the lake in view much of
the way.
To enter the trail at Overlook Park, take
I-35 north to Hwy 29, west to D. B. Wood, then north to the Overlook
Park entrance (on the left), or I-35 south to 2338 west, then turn
south at the HEB on D. B Wood, then right into the park. For Jim Hogg
Park, go west out 2338 to Jim Hogg Rd, then left to the park. Russell
Park must be approached from the north from CR262.
Goodwater
Trail map
Rocky
Hill Ranch
Muleshoe
Bend Recreation Area
Walnut
Creek Trails
Warda
San
Antonio Area Trails
700
Acres
Flat
Rock Ranch
Kelly Ranch
Hill Country
State
Natural Area
Texas Panhandle
Lubbock
Area Trails
M.L.K.
Park
Palo
Verde Canyon
